Dry skin doesn’t only present as flaking. It can also show up as general redness, a tight feeling over the face, and even extra oil (it may seem counterintuitive to associate oil with dry skin, but some people’s skin can produce more oil to compensate for a lack of moisture).
But no matter what your dry skin looks like, it’s pretty much always frustrating and uncomfortable. Not to mention, everyone’s skin is different, so it can be hard to find which products and lifestyle changes can help your own complexion. However, there may be an unlikely culprit you might want to look into, especially if you’ve tried time and again to keep your skin moisturised with little to no success.
The connection between vitamin D gaps & dry skin
Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient involved in nearly every single bodily system and function, including immune support, bone health, muscle function & more. It only makes sense that the sunshine vitamin has a stake in the skin care game as well.
One randomised controlled trial in the journal Nutrients found a relationship between vitamin D insufficiency and dry skin. Researchers discovered that participants with lower vitamin D levels also had lower average skin moisture. This suggests a relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and hydration of the stratum corneum, i.e. the surface layer of your skin.
In terms of how, exactly, the vitamin affects skin health, we know that vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help protect skin cells. Plus, vitamin D plays a crucial role in thyroid health, as it helps regulate the production of thyroid hormones. These thyroid hormones play a key role in keeping your hair, skin, and nails youthful and strong (in addition to influencing metabolism, mood, sleep, etc.).
We know that vitamin D is very important for the hair follicle and therefore hair growth. In fact, vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins needed for maintaining and creating functioning hair follicles.
So if you’ve hit a wall trying to restore moisture in your skin, a high-quality vitamin D supplement can help give your skin the final hydration nudge it needs.
The Vintage Avenue Team x